"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo recently told Entertainment Tonight that she might be able to imagine a version of ABC's hit medical drama that goes on without her.
"Listen, the show speaks to a lot of people and the young people love the show. It's inspired so many generations of healthcare workers," the actor, who has played general surgeon Dr. Meredith Grey for 18 seasons and counting, said.
"So, I think for the young people, it's a really good piece of content and we're gonna try to keep it going for the young people," Pompeo added. "Not necessarily with me, but you know, keep it going beyond me."
Pompeo, who was celebrating the show's 400th episode, said it felt "exhausting" to have filmed so many hours of television.
The "Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo" podcast host previously told Insider in November while promoting her company Betr Remedies that she's been "trying to focus on convincing everybody that it should end" for some time now.
"I feel like I'm the super naive one who keeps saying, 'But what's the story going to be, what story are we going to tell?'" she continued. "And everyone's like, 'Who cares, Ellen? It makes a gazillion dollars.'"
It's understandably hard to picture "Grey's Anatomy" without Pompeo — her character's name is in the title. But the show has inspired two spinoffs ("Private Practice," which ended in 2013, and "Station 19," which is still airing on ABC) since it premiered in March 2005, so it is possible that the world of Grey Sloan could move on without Meredith.
Pompeo also told Insider in November that she loves that fans are equally invested in characters outside of Meredith — like Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew), who are returning to "Grey's" for the show's landmark 400th episode.
"I'm always open to any idea. I know people love 'Japril,'" she said when asked about a possible spinoff, referring to the couple by their nickname. "Sarah Drew and Jesse are both great to watch, but whatever Jesse wants and whatever Sarah wants, if they wanted to do it, then I would be so happy for the fans."
In a joint interview with Drew in December, Williams told Insider, "If it's a matter of fan love, we would already be in episode eight" of a spinoff.
All fans can do at this point, he said, is "keep plugging away and screaming about it."
"Grey's Anatomy" airs its 400th episode and season 18 finale on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
